My mom is super protective, because of my diabetes make sure anywhere you are leaving your daughter they get a pretty basic idea of how to handle type 1 diabetes. Most people oh ya my grandma had t2 and you need to specify that its absolutly not the same, keep talking to her and make sure she knows what to do in any kind of situation. Get her a cell phone :)
My mom texts me about 20 times when im out asking me if i'm okay, did i give insulin? test! etc.
For most of my outings, i usually have a heavy meal before leaving the house, so i don't have to worry about bolus-ing etc. always have her carry her meter, and a syringe, sometimes my mom would find out what i'm going to eat there and pre-fill the syringe, and just have me test.
i dont know how old your daughter is but if shes any older then say 11 i think thats going waaay too far. i was dxd right after my 12th birthday and pretty much from the get go i could manage on my own. if i went to a sleep over i would just bring a bag with my insulin, needles and glucometer. if i was going to give my dinner injections there i could callculate the carbs easy enough and i would just give me my injection. its as simple as that. i never had any problems whatsoever. definately if you kid is very young i would worry about her but i wouldnt go as far to say that she cant have sleep overs. just make sure she knows when to take her blood sugar and tell the other parents to look out for some low symptoms and give them your number. but if shes older than 10 i think your going way too far
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Dillon her daughter is 9 as is mine. Its not fair to tell a parent of a newly diagnosed child of any age they are going to far. When you are a parent you have so much to consider in letting your kids go out into the world without D. You hardly at less than a month in grasp the concept of how to take care of them yourself. We are still learning and cant imagine giving someone else a crash course of how to take care of them while we are not there. Its still so overwhelming at this point. Right now I know my daughter is not ready to take over her own care. She is doing great and learning a lot but by no means can she even recognize if she is high or low. As her parent I have to see it for her and test if I am not sure. I dont know how to teach others how to see it she is my child and I know her behaviors. It blows in the beginning and you cant imagine it getting easier or ok to let them go out in the world. With all we have to do and know it simply doesnt seem feasible that they can ever go anyplace without us. Even my daughter had a meltdown over this thought the other day. She thought she would never be able to go some place without me or her dad. I reassured her she would but just not yet. We are still learning to much but once we get it all we can teach her aunts and uncles how to care for her. Also that as she gets older she will learn to take care of herself and know all we do and be able to do it all herself. She said ok but you will still have to do my shots. I just giggled and told her no one day you will be able to do those yourself too but not yet so dont worry about that. She doesnt believe she can do it. I didnt believe she could handle getting them and she is a champ already. So in time us newbie parents will relax but until you are a parent yourself and have to deal with someone way over your head you wont know what going to far is or isnt.
Jessica, AMEN!! I totally agree with you (though i'm not trying to bash Dillion at all because i totally applaud the fact that at her age she is so independent!) but trust me i can assure her that EVERY time she steps foot out that front door her parent(s) are worried about her....I worry about my daughter when she is in her bedroom and i'm in a different part of the house and i don't hear any "noise" for a period of time. Of course when i go in to check on her she is just like "what now mom" :).....We will get to the point where we will feel comfortable about letting our children out of our sight but i'll NEVER be to the point when i won't worry about her. I'm 37yrs old and my mom still worries about me. Its just what we do as parents...And trust me i would much rather have a parent who was over protect then one who didn't care at all... I hope when my daughter is Dillion's age she will be just as independent as Dillion is, but in the mean time i WILL watch her like a hawk.
Oh yeah I want my daughter independent like Dillion and all the kids I have read about on this site. I dont plan on my current fears becoming my daughters at all. I know I ask if she is ok to often but I did before D as well lol so I am not that much different just amplified a tad right now. I know in time she will grow and mature and so will I. I know I have to let her but right now she is my baby and I fear so much for her because I am not secure in caring for her let alone trusting someone else who knows even less than me do it.
I think the moms and dads with little ones new to d-are wonderful,smart,brave and strong,When d shows up and touches your child it touches the whole family,The way I see it is there is no way my daughter is going to carry the weight of d on her own.She took on things as she felt she could handle them. The new parents I see here are doing just what good parents do-Love,guide,teach and protect.
Meg, I like your post. Your Mom over-corrected by accident, but it was fixed, no harm done. We all make mistakes, us T1's, parents, caregivers, etc. So we need to give ourselves some slack. At least once a month, I zone out while bolusing and have NO IDEA how much insulin I took later. I just test a lot and make it through. Humalog lasts 3-4 hours in my system and then the mistake is over.
Dillon, I agree that kids should gain independence. But, it depends on the child's personality, family structure and style, etc. Also, so soon after diagnoses, it's still a family affair as everyone is still learning and working together to figure out how to manage. In my opinion, being a parent is so tough because you know you should give your child(ren) room to grow, but you love them beyond words and it's painful to even worry that anything could happen. It's one of the most anxiety-provoking things I've done and (knock on wood) my son is healthy. I'm not trying to criticize you b/c everyone's opinion is valid, just giving another prospective. I'm sure this family will give their daughter more responsibility later, but this is an adjustment period.
Hi all. After posting here, I was thinking more about this... If there's anyone w/ T1 kids in DC or NoVA, send me a message. I'd be happy to work something out to babysit. I hope it doesn't seem weird that I'm posting this online, but I totally wouldn't mind if I had time. I work w/ kids ages birth through 5, but I'm sure I could handle an older one if they don't make fun of my limited computer skills. (;
Hi all. After posting here, I was thinking more about this... If there's anyone w/ T1 kids in DC or NoVA, send me a message. I'd be happy to work something out to babysit. I hope it doesn't seem weird that I'm posting this online, but I totally wouldn't mind if I had time. I work w/ kids ages birth through 5, but I'm sure I could handle an older one if they don't make fun of my limited computer skills. (;
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I dont think its weird. I think it is wonderful for you to offer.
when i was diagnosed, i had just turned 10 so about your daughter's age. one thing that really hurt me was my friends never invited me to do anything with them because their parents did not want to have to do anything. our close family friend was my doctor at the time and him and his wife usually babysat me. I was there pretty muc h every day. then another family asked my mom to teach them eenough so that i could come over and have "normal" playdates and sleepovers. other than that, my mom let me have friends over quite often so that i didn't feel completely alone. and when school started they taught my teacher pretty much everything she would need to know. i think the protectiveness is good, but make sure they don't start to feel like they can't have alone time or time with friends. :)
I think the worst thing you can do is suffocate your daughter. If you do she won't grow up with a sense confidence that comes from independence. I think you should consider who you leave her with, making sure they know the appropriate response if something goes wrong, but don't make her miss out on being a child. I think a lot of children with T1D grow up with self esteem issues because of over-protective parents, who really just want their children to be safe.
Dylan,your bio. is wonderful and you give parents great insight --of a person who knows what it is like to grow up with d. Your parents must be so proud of you. But unless you have a child with d at this time--you can't fully understand where we are coming from.So I hope you can understand it is not suffocating a little one to be on the cautious side for a while..................... Bethann,one thing I can remember doing was opening my doors even wider to have my daughters friends over more.That gave her a chance to get a mental break from it all for a whle and she was near me.It also gave me a way to connect even more with the parents and talk about d--so when she went to their houses we all felt better......... Happy New Years everyone :)
My daughter has been living with diabetes for 7 years now. I still worry when she goes on an overnighter, but a lot less than at first. I ALWAYS make sure that the parent in charge has all the needed emergency info./supplies, including glucagon. It makes me feel better and I sleep better. I try not to be a nervous nilly in front of my daughter 'cause it just stresses her out and she needs to be a kid and have independence :)
Thanks for all the feedback. I didn't look at it as not letting her be on her own. She can't feel her highs and lows yet. Please remember we are only into this since 12/7. Believe me, I want her to be in charge of her own health. I also know until she has the knowledge she needs to do that, it is my job.
I love the idea of having a sitter who has T1 - I've also made a friend with a mom of another T1 child who may be an option for us as we are for her. As for now though, either my husband or I are always with her. Don't get me wrong, she moves about as she wants - we are not standing over her! She does go to friends houses that are right here on our block and we've had 2 sleepovers here at our house since she was diagnosed. She is in a musical that I intend to keep her in. I know that the only limits she has will be the ones I put on her. I don't want her to let this lead her life - I want her to lead her life and add this in to her normal routines.
Thank you again! I've learned so much from this site so far.
Make sure those around her know what to do and who to call in an emergency. My daughter was 12 when she was diagnosed and that same year I sent her to church camp for a week. She did great. Her best friend went with her and I made sure the nurse and her cabin leader knew what to do.
As time passes your daughter will become more independent and be able to handle more things on her own.
my parents wouldn't let me go to any sleepovers or even just hang out until i went through all the training. i go to children's hospital of wisconsin and there are like six courses you have to take. i was diagnosed in november 2008, and my first "outing" by myself was in the end of january 2009. i think you should grant your daughter some freedom. let her go to some parties, just call the parents ahead of time and explain to them some simple things such as the signs of a high and low. im thirteen so i babysit a lot and none of the parents ever question me if i know what to do. your daughter will love the freedom. i know i did. i was stuck with my parents and brothers and sisters for two and a half months before i was let out again. i was like "im freeeeeee"
I would suggest if she has friends she likes staying with that you meet with the parents casually and explain everything.. write it on paper for them or type it up on the computer so you have copies.. then give it to them .. and make sure they are comfortable with the idea and know what to do in a L0 or Hi situation .. give them your contact information so they can call you and then once they have established this, it will be possible for your daughter to have sleepovers and you to go on a date with your husband.. I know its difficult to trust another person to take as good of care as you, but its also not fair to say if the parent doesnt have a child with type1 that your daughter cant stay there, that would be like secluding her to only kids with type 1 .. and the LAST thing you want to do is make her feel S0 different from other kids, she'll start to hate the fact she has type 1 even more.. and maybe even resent you for doing that.. I would educate them ..remembering it may be new and not to "throw" to much information at them too quickly.. and try it out .. if it doesnt work out you can tell your daughter you tried and maybe you can try again later.. but I know my boyfriend is 20.. diagnosed last year at 19.. and he HATES the fact that his family, and people who dont know him, make a huge deal of it and say he "cant do this" "cant do that" "cant eat this or that" or "can you eat this or that" .. it drives him and I both crazy.. he said he feels completely useless and at the same time like a freak or something because they act like he's somethin to stare at.. his parents however know notihng of type 1 and cant even work his meter.. sorry if I offend parents, but honestly, they really are ignorant.. Example: I didnt stay with him, 0NE night, and i call he never answers.. its 1pm and he's not awake.. he went to bed at 1030.. he should be awake.. i BEG his parents to go wake him up until he's up and im bringin him orange juice and a biscuit from the Hardees.. do they .. N0.. and why? because "its his fault he's over sleeping, he was up all night on the tv / games" .. when he was not .. i told them he was low I thought and to check they say "whats that" .. they dont even know how to use his meter.. seriously; his bg level was only 28.. i nearly had to use the glucagon, it took me 10 minutes to get him good enough to drink 0J.. ]]
but; basically.. try to try a few things, at least so she can feel a little bit normal, and if you like, the most of the time maybe you can host a few sleepovers so she still gets that interaction and is close by at your own home; but try to remember to not make her feel any different.. good luck with everything! :)
I have had type 1 for over 21 years and have never really refrigerated
the insulin I am using. (I obviously refrigerate my extras until I am
ready to use them.) I have lived in Florida for the past 16 years, and
even in summer I don't worry about keeping them cold (obviously I try to
avoid letting them sit in the car and get heated). I haven't had any
problems with my insulin working or anything.
Especially if you are just going on hikes/sightseeing, you won't
need to bring a cool pack. If you are worried, just keeping a cooler in
the car to refresh it would be fine... but don't worry about keeping it
cold for the time you will be out. Cindy
I don't recall having that problem. Did you download the Glucofacts software from the website first? I think if you do that, then insert the meter into the computer, it should work. Also, when it is inserted into the USB port, click on the Glucofacts icon, not the Bayer Contour USB icon.
There are a few options if you are going to be somewhere really hot (insulin at room temperature is fine for 28days and I've never had a problem with a few hours of extra heat).
There's also the Frio packas that some people swear by. You just put it in water and then it keeps your insulin cold for the day or whatever. www.diabetesexpress.ca/.../560
I've used th Frio pack and didn't like it. The water leaked out of it and soaked my bag..so I had to keep it in a plastic bag. I ended up getting the one made for pens by mistake and it took like 25minutes to get each insulin vial out. The leaking was my main disappointment. I didn't realize it til after my first full day at the music festival when EVERYTHING in my bag was soaked, including my digital camera. =(